The Forging Iron Podcast with Griffin Jaworski

Your Fitness Doesn’t Care What Your Ego Wants

Welcome to The Forge: A new solo format of the Forging Iron podcast where we explore the pursuit of performance in a real and practical way. 

As I head into Ironman 70.3 North Carolina, I keep returning to one freeing thought: your fitness doesn't care what your ego wants.

That does not mean outcome goals are "bad". It is okay to want to compete well, place, qualify, or even win. But when the goals in our minds are not supported by the actions and preparation we have actually built, race week can become a cycle of frustration, comparison, and uncertainty.

In this pre-race Forge episode, I reflect on the tension between past results, athletic identity, coaching credibility, and the race in front of me. I share the simple framework I am using:

Ability x execution = performance.

I cannot create a different training block during race week. But I can execute with what I have: pace patiently, fuel well, relax in the water, stay smooth on the bike, focus on the mile I am in, and keep making the next best decision.

My plan is simple: relax and enjoy swimming, biking, and running.

In this episode:

• Why outcome goals are not the problem, but misaligned goals can be
• How task orientation shifts attention from proving yourself to executing well
• The race-week question: “What’s important now?”
• How to notice what we're taking from our conversations
• How to compete with the preparation you built

If you are racing or competing soon, consider:

• What ability have I actually built?
• How can I execute the moment in front of me well?
• What is the next best decision?
• What is important now?

For a more structured way to work through these ideas before your own race, check out the Race Week Mental Game Guide

I’ll return after race day to reflect on how this unfolded.

Forging Iron: Exploring the pursuit of performance. In this podcast, we dive into why we strive, how we execute, what shapes our experience, and who we become along the way.

Learn and connect with us here!

I am honored to share this episode with Alexa Efraimson, now Alexa Gusman. Alexa was one of the best runners in the world at just 17 years old and turned pro out of high school and competing on the world stage until she was 25. From there, she became a registered dietician and is on a mission to help athletes excel in their sport and improve how they think about food and body image.

We explore why underfueling can undermine the adaptations athletes are training so hard to create, how discipline can turn into unhealthy control, the danger of comparing yourself to a younger version of yourself, and why there is no single “perfect” way to fuel or perform.

Alexa shares what retiring from professional running taught her about identity, relationships, happiness, presence, and learning to recognize what improvement looks like beyond PR’s and podiums.

In this episode:

• Why harder training doesn't compensate for inadequate fueling
• Fueling and nutrition for high school athletes
• Perfectionism, body image, and the “good athlete” identity
• Breaking the comparison cycle
• Why your past self can become your toughest competitor
• The gut-brain connection and pre-race anxiety
• Experimenting with fueling instead of searching for the “perfect” strategy
• Athletic identity after elite sport
• Recognizing progress beyond PRs
• Redefining what it actually means to be successful

Learn more and connect with Alexa:

• Fueling Forward: https://www.fuelingforward.com
• Exploratory Call with Alexa: https://fuelingforward.practicebetter.io/#/68d472cdd71de86f245251b5/bookings?s=65de66bb1d5188d88eb98869&step=date
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexagefraimson/

Coach Griffin and Forging Iron Training:

I’d love to learn more about you and your goals!

Mental Performance Coaching: https://forgingirontraining.fit/mpc

Forging Iron Training Principles Substack: https://griffinjaworski.substack.com/

Instagram:  https://instagram.com/coach_grifjaws

The Mental Game of Coaching: Mini Course - https://grifjaws2041.clickmeeting.com/coaching-the-mental-game

Special Announcement: Upcoming Webinar on Supporting Your High School Cross Country Runner for parents and guardians, learn more and register here: https://grifjaws2041.clickmeeting.com/xc2026/register

I’m honored to share this conversation with Elise Cranny. Elise reflects on her journey in and out of sport, from long stretches of injury and overtraining to becoming a two-time Olympian and American record holder. We talk about:

• athletic identity and life outside of sport
• reflecting on races and her mental training process
• some of the warning signs of underfueling and overtraining

As well as why line dancing might just be the best kept performance secret of the pros, or at least why it should be included as an official activity at Brevard Distance Runner’s Camp! 

This episode is absolutely filled with tangible takeaways that any runner or athlete can use to help themselves better navigate the mental side of their sport and how one of the worlds best actually implements them in her training and life. 

I’m excited to hear what resonates with you. If you get something out of the episode, share it with a coach, training partner, or even over on your social media to help us help more people!

Follow Elise’s Journey:

Elise’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elise.cranny/

Coach Griffin and Forging Iron Training:

I’d love to learn more about you and your goals! But in the mean time, here’s how you can learn more and connect with me:

Mental Performance Coaching: https://forgingirontraining.fit/mpc

Forging Iron Training Principles Substack: https://griffinjaworski.substack.com/

Instagram:  https://instagram.com/coach_grifjaws

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/griffin-jaworski

From the episode:

Brevard Distance Runner’s Camp: https://www.brevarddistancerunnerscamp.com

I’m really honored to bring you this episode with Emily Perrin. Emily is a nervous system and performance coach, as well as a licensed clinical social worker specializing in trauma. On top of that, she was also a Division I soccer player at the University of Virginia and Division I soccer coach at the University of Pennsylvania. Emily has seen sport through many lenses, and in this episode we unpack some of the hidden emotional realities and challenges of sport culture.

In this episode, we explore the intersection of:

• Performance and identity
• Nervous system regulation
• Anxiety in athletes
• Transitioning out of sport
• Coaching culture

This conversation challenges many of the traditional beliefs around “mental toughness” and offers a more human, holistic framework for athlete development and well-being.

Emily shares a ton of great information and thought provoking posts over on her social media, @former.athlete.therapist and her newsletter, which you can find via her website listed below:

Connect with Emily and learn more:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/former.athlete.therapist
• Website: https://www.perrinwellnessperformance.com

Coach Griffin and Forging Iron Training:

Coaching: https://forgingirontraining.fit/coaching-consult

Forging Iron Training Principles Substack: https://griffinjaworski.substack.com/

Instagram:  https://instagram.com/coach_grifjaws

I’m honored to welcome Gordo Byrn back to the podcast! If you haven’t already, I highly recommend listening to his episode on returning to a lifestyle of elite performance after taking a decade away, it’s one of the most popular episodes thus far. In this conversation we shift gears a little and dive deep into long-term athletic development, parenting philosophy, and sustainable high performance through the lens of Gordo Byrn’s experience as both an elite athlete and a father.

Gordo’s won a world championship in the Ultraman and has returned to the top of the podium in his age group at long course triathlons in the past few years, but in this episode we talk about how his daughter has become one of the best high school swimmers in the US.

The core tension explored is short-term success vs. long-term growth. Many young athletes, parents, and coaches chase early wins through high training loads (what he calls a “load max” strategy), but Gordo argues this often leads to burnout, plateaus, or stalled development later.

Instead, he advocates for:

• Playing the long game (and by long, he’s thinking a 12–16 year horizon)
• Leaving room to improve each season
• Letting motivation come from the athlete—not the parent
• And what his goal as a parent are for his kids participating in sport.

The episode also explores:

• Why early success can be misleading
• How overtraining shows up psychologically before physically
• The importance of autonomy in kids
• How to evaluate college decisions beyond athletics
• Why most families misunderstand the odds of sports paying for college

At its core, this isn’t just about sport—it’s about raising capable, self-directed humans who can thrive long after competition ends.

I’m excited to see what resonates with you from this episode.

More about Gordo:

• Endurance Essentials 
• True Wealth 
• Live Long and Prosper

Gordo on the Forging Iron Podcast (round 1):

• Apple
• Spotify

Quick favor: if you enjoy this episode, share it with a friend, coach or colleague or over on your social media! This really helps us spread the message on the show and ultimately build a better experiences in sport, even if it’s just one team or one person at a time. If you do that, tag me @coach_grifjaws over on instagram so I can give you a shoutout!

If you're listening to this, it likely means you're a parent, athlete or coach who’s serious about improving the mental game. If so, I’d love to learn more and connect, hop over to Forgingirontraining.fit and let’s chat!

I’m really excited to bring you this conversation with Dr. Braden Brown, LMFT, PhD. In this episode, Braden talks about his role working with elite athletes as the Director of Mental Health for BYU Athletics.

We dig into many of my favorite topics in the mental performance, but some of the highlights are:

• The difference between high standards and perfectionism
• A practical framework and tools for managing thoughts and emotions
• Knowing that even the best deal with doubt, nerves, and uncertainty
• How breath work and awareness help regulate performance in high-pressure moments
• Understanding your optimal performance zone
• Why mental skills are universal, but application is sport-specific
• The importance of relationships and how better communication comes from better questions

If you’re an athlete or coach, this is packed with ways to improve your mental game, and I’d be super curious to hear what resonates with you. Let’s dive in:

Find more about Dr. Braden Brown

• Website
• Instagram
• BYU Staff Page

Quick favor: if you enjoyed this episode, there are two no-cost ways to support the show. One is to share it with a friend or colleague or even on your social media, and another is to subscribe to our Forging Iron Training Principles Substack. Both are incredibly helpful. I truly appreciate you being here and listening, if you’re tuned it likely means you’re serious about making the most out of your performance, and that’s pretty awesome.

Coach Griffin and Forging Iron Training:

Coaching: https://forgingirontraining.fit/coaching-consult

Forging Iron Training Principles Substack: https://griffinjaworski.substack.com/

More ways to connect:

Instagram:  https://instagram.com/coach_grifjaws

Twitter: https://x.com/coach_grifjaws

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/griffin-jaworski

I’m excited to share my conversation with today’s guest Ryan Ford. Ryan is a CMPC, Certified Mental Performance Consultant, and co-founder of Fortitude with his business partner, Brian Sullivan who was a previous guest on the show. Their mission at Fortitude is to support leaders and teams to elevate performance, strengthen belonging, and create lasting legacies, and in this episode we cover a variety of ways they’re helping athletes and coaches do just that. Some key topics we discus:

• Training mental performance proactively, rather than reactively
• Thinking of mental strength just like physical strength, by breaking it down into sets and reps
• and why awareness is actually a foundational layer for other mental skills

Plus, we also get into team culture, and Ryan shares his thoughts on how to actually build a thriving team culture that goes beyond words written on walls.

I’m excited to see what resonates with you.

Find more about what Ryan is building with Fortitude.Coach  

Forging Iron Podcast — Year One Reflections: The 3 Themes That Shape Performance

In this special anniversary episode, we're celebrating year one of the podcast! We've had some amazing guests, from:

• sports nutritionist
• mediation expert
• doctors of all types:
  • a pediatrician
  • PhDs in sport psychology
  • and an orthopedic surgeon
• mental performance coaches
• and current and former collegiate and professional athletes, ranging from runners, basketball players and rock climbers
  • including two world champions!

These guests have shared a little science and a lot of stories in sport, helping us take key things we can apply to our own performance journey. Today, I’m going to reflect on three major themes that have surfaced from year one. Let’s dive in:

Drawing from stories and science across endurance sport, this episode explores three powerful ideas that challenge common performance myths and offer a more sustainable path to growth.

🔑 Key Themes

1️⃣ What do we misunderstand about confidence?
Confidence isn’t a prerequisite for performance. It’s often a byproduct of consistent action. Many elite athletes achieve incredible results while still questioning themselves — proving that belief isn’t required to show up and perform.

2️⃣ Do sports build mental strength? If so, what are the elements required?
Sport doesn’t automatically build character or resilience. Environment matters. Coaches, parents, and leaders shape psychological safety, motivation, and long-term development more than the sport itself.

3️⃣ Reframing performance as playing a dynamic puzzle
Training and competition don’t exist in isolation. Life seasons shift priorities, capacity, and identity. Sustainable performance comes from aligning goals with values, curiosity, and personal growth.

🧠 What You’ll Learn

• Why confidence often follows behavior — not the other way around
• How coaching environments shape mindset and performance
• The role of psychological safety in long-term success
• Why playfulness improves consistency and focus
• How to adapt performance goals across life seasons
• A framework for aligning sport with values and identity

👟 Who This Episode Is For

Athletes, coaches, parents, and high performers who want a healthier, more durable approach to performance and growth.

Huge shoutout to our amazing guests and those of you who have followed along. I'd love to know what you got out of the episodes. Looking forward to year two! Happy training!

I’m really excited to share this episode with Dr. Howard Luks. Dr. Luks is an orthopedic surgeon by trade, but his writing, whether it’s his book Longevity Simplified or Substack called Built to Move: Born to Heal, encompasses so much more than fixing broken bones.

This episode takes special meaning for me now, as just this week I lost a grandparent. He’s undoubtedly in a better place now, but a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go help him and spent some time in a memory care facility. Between my grandpa and the other people in the memory care unit, it was striking just how much physical and cognitive capacity we lose at these end stages. Of course, that comes for us all at some point, but as Dr. Luks and I talk about today, there are ways to make those final 5 to 10 years of our life vastly more engaging and enjoyable. Through his writing and this conversation, Dr. Luks shares how to take care of our health in a way that allows us to continue doing the things we love doing for as long as we can.

Find out more about Dr. Luks:

• Built to Move, Born to Heal - Dr. Luks' Substack
• Longevity Simplified Book

This episode goes hand in hand with part of my conversation with Justin Daerr. If you haven’t listened to it, I highly suggest it, as Justin talks about a study done on collegiate athletes and how they were no more likely to exercise later in life than someone who had never exercised. I’m increasingly finding this balance between chasing performance versus moving to be healthy a fascinating topic.

Clearly, training and movement can take many shapes and forms, and if you’re interested in doing a marathon, Ironman, or ultra but want to blend it with this idea of staying healthy for the long haul, I’d love to chat. One of my athletes recently completed a 100 miler, which was a big goal of his, but our main priority is helping him be healthy for life. Like Dr. Luks mentions, those finish line feelings are fleeting, and while I love them as much as the next person, I also want to make sure that my athletes are enjoying the process and doing things in a way that sets them up for health in the long haul. Find out more at forgingirontraining.fit.

Until next time, happy training!

Coach Griffin

My guest today is Jacob Hunter. As a high school athlete, Jacob won multiple state championships in Virginia and was on the 2x Nike Cross Country National Championship winning team for Loudoun Valley. Jacob went on to compete for the University of Virginia, notching PR’s of 4:03 in the mile and 14:05 in the 5k. All of this is extremely impressive in it’s own right, but what makes it even greater is that Jacob has been managing Type 1 Diabetes since he was 11 years old.

In this episode, we reflect on the challenges he faced while navigating sport and performance in high school and college, and some key takeaways that will help any athlete, regardless of the circumstances they face. 

Some of my favorites:

• learning what how your body responds to training and nutrition and building around that
• repeating basic habits
• embracing our limitations and constraints without letting them define us
• finding joy in the big pressure moments

I’m excited to share this one with you, let me know what sticks out to you!

Learn more and connect:

• Jacob’s Hammer and Axe Coaching
• Jacob’s instagram

Coach Griffin and Forging Iron Training:

Coaching: https://forgingirontraining.fit/coaching-consult

Forging Iron Training Principles Substack: https://griffinjaworski.substack.com/

More ways to connect:

Instagram:  https://instagram.com/coach_grifjaws

Twitter: https://x.com/coach_grifjaws

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/griffin-jaworski